Anthony Le Tallec (born 3 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward or an attacking midfielder for Liverpool, Sochaux, and Annecy.
Club career Liverpool Born in Hennebont, Le Tallec was signed from Le Havre by Liverpool in 2001, along with his cousin Florent Sinama Pongolle, by manager Gérard Houllier. This was after impressive performances for France at the UEFA European Under-16 Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the player being awarded the 'Silver Ball' as the second best player (behind his cousin) in the latter tournament as the national team emerged champions; both players remained a further two years at Le Havre, loaned by the Reds.
After making his Liverpool debut in a league match against Blackburn Rovers, Le Tallec scored his first and only Liverpool goal in a UEFA Cup tie against Olimpija Ljubljana in October 2003. After his return, he also featured in the club's victorious run in the UEFA Champions League, starting in the home leg of the quarter-final tie against Juventus but failing to appear in the squad of 18 for the final itself.
For 2005–06, Le Tallec joined fellow Premier League side Sunderland on loan, in a bid to gain some more first-team football. He stated: "I am a competitor and I want to play all the time, but with Liverpool it was impossible. I chose to come to Sunderland because I need to play every week". In a disappointing season for the club, who finished bottom of the table, he was its top scorer with only five goals in all competitions; this included a goal on his debut against Manchester City and a header against Fulham, helping the Black Cats pick up their only home win.
In May 2006, after Sunderland announced they would not be looking to retain his services, Le Tallec returned to Liverpool but was not given a squad number by boss Rafael Benítez. At the end of the month, he joined up with the French under-21s for the European Championship which took place in Portugal, only featuring in the final group match after the team had already secured qualification and being substituted after 61 minutes.
Return to France In August 2006, Le Tallec moved to Sochaux on another loan deal. He won the Coupe de France scoring a late equaliser after coming off the bench in the final, which eventually led to a penalty shootout against Marseille – a fellow Liverpool player out on loan, Djibril Cissé, netted two goals in the match for the opposition.
On 31 August 2007, it was reported that Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian were close to signing Le Tallec. However, the player ended up moving to Ligue 1 team Le Mans, on loan for the entire season with a view to a permanent deal for approximately £1.1 million pounds.
In July 2008, Le Mans decided to make the loan permanent, signing Le Tallec to a four-year contract. On 27 June 2010, following their top flight relegation, he reached an agreement with fellow league club Auxerre for a four-year deal, worth €3 million.
Atromitos On 19 July 2015, Le Tallec signed with Atromitos for two years. He cited the possibility of playing in the UEFA Europa League as the main reason for his signature.
Later years On 3 July 2017, the 32-year-old Le Tallec joined Astra Giurgiu in the Romanian Liga I. He returned to his country in the following transfer window, moving to Ligue 2's Orléans.
In September 2019, Le Tallec signed with Annecy.
He retired from professional football in May 2021 after a twenty-year career.
Personal life Le Tallec's younger brother, Damien, is also a footballer. Another French youth international who was groomed at Le Havre, he started his professional career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.
In June 2023, Le Tallec was a witness to a mass stabbing attack in an Annecy park in which four children and an adult were injured.
Career statistics
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsLe Havre (loan)2002–03Ligue 1302—302Liverpool2003–04Premier League1304020412312004–0540000030702005–060000002020Total170402091321Saint-Étienne (loan)2004–05Ligue 161—61Sunderland (loan)2005–06Premier League2732121—315Sochaux (loan)2006–07Ligue 125443——297Le Mans2007–08Ligue 12652031—3162008–093463010—3862009–103681121—3910Total96196162—10822Auxerre2010–11Ligue 12211010302712011–122431021—2742012–13Ligue 2640020—84Total528205130629Auxerre B2011–12CFA20———20Valenciennes2012–13Ligue 120510——2152013–141720010—1822014–15Ligue 234132010—3713Total71203020—7620Valenciennes B2013–14CFA 221———21Atromitos2015–16Super League Greece27781—303882016–1726640——306Total5313121—306814Astra Giurgiu2017–18Liga I18120—41242Orléans2017–18Ligue 29100——912018–192673040—3372019–202000——20Total3783040—448Annecy2019–20National 26121——822020–21National11111——122Total17232——204Career total4538341821419253497
Honours Liverpool UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
Sochaux Coupe de France: 2006–07
France U17 FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2001
Individual FIFA U-17 World Championship Silver Ball: 2001
References
External links
Profile at the Liverpool F.C. website